Plein Air Palette Knife artist
Uniquely transforming canvas into breathtaking works of art using palette knifes.
Plein Air Palette Knife artist
Uniquely transforming canvas into breathtaking works of art using palette knifes.
About Carol Swinney
Background
Wyoming artist Carol Swinney prefers to paint on location at such places as Rocky Mountain National Park in CO, the mountains near Tucson, AZ or the Grand Teton Mountains in WY. Prior to retiring, Carol was a President and Master Signature Member of American Women Artists and Signature Member of Oil Painters of America and was a member in many other professional art organizations.
Technique
Carol Swinney paints with a palette knife instead of a brush for many reasons. “I love texture, and love to see a lot of paint on the canvas. A painting knife gives rich colors and amazing depth, like you’re sculpting a painting,” she says. “Contrast, composition and lighting capture my attention while on location so I paint when colors are rich and light is more dramatic.”
Honors and Awards
Carol has won over fourty regional and national awards and honors for her work and through participating in numerous group exhibitions and many solo shows during her career.
She also has exhibited at several museums including the Clymer Museum, Gilcrease Museum, the Briscoe Museum, the CM Russell Museum, the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Old West Museum at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Carol is in the permanent collection of the Wyoming State Governor's offices in Cheyenne, Wyo, the J.M. Smucker Corp. offices, the Amerind Foundation Museum in Arizona, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum in Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park.
Publications
Featured work in articles and covers include:
"Southwest Art"
"Art of the West"
"American Artist"
“Plein AirMagazine”,
"International Artist",
"The Artists Magazine"
"Wildlife Art News"
Carol was one of 12 landscape artists chosen to represent the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park in the hardback book, titled "ART OF THE NATIONAL PARKS". The book features seven United States National Parks.
Carol Swinney - Retrospective exhibit
Retrospective
Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, Wyoming hosted Carol Swinney: "Moments in Nature, A Retrospective by Carol Swinney" where they exhibited works from six different stages of her professional career as a painter of Western, Wildlife and Landscape subjects.
When not traveling or at her winter home in AZ, Carol has spent most of her life on the family cattle ranch in Wyoming. Her art career has been influenced by her work with horses and ranching life and the wildlife that she grew up with. Carol's art reflects her love of the Western U.S. and includes landscapes as far North as Montana, South to Arizona, and from Wyoming West, including California seascapes.
About Carol Swinney
"My palette knife technique lends itself well to painting nature, from vast western landscapes to intimate scenes of native wildflowers all over the west. Edges, points and broken passages of thick paint, create depth and details that a brush may not be able to achieve. I enjoy creating mood with interesting lighting and vibrant colors! I feel fortunate to have spent over 40 years as a professional wildlife and landscape artist." Carol Swinney